rife

adjective

ˈrīf How to pronounce rife (audio)
Definition of rifenext
as in filled
possessing or covered with great numbers or amounts of something specified a city government that is rife with malfeasance and corruption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rife These past few months in the Treasure Valley have been rife with local governments complaining about the position the Idaho Legislature has put them in. — Idaho Statesman, 25 June 2026 At low tide, the pools on Olympic beaches are rife with starfish and crabs. — Sarah Rose, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2026 This interregnum could be rife with abuses. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 June 2026 But those chats are also rife with bullying and inappropriate content, completely unmonitored and unregulated. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rife
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rife
  1. filled
  2. crowded
  3. fraught
  4. abundant
  5. awash
  6. packed
  7. teeming
  8. jammed
Adjective
  • The Wall Street Journal featured Reese alongside WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson on its magazine cover, even after Caitlin Clark broke numerous records, filled arenas, and set new marks for WNBA broadcasts.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
  • The new system allows citations to be transmitted electronically and enter the court records system pre-filled.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of filled
Adjective
  • The Casupo Leather Crossbody iPhone Case is ideal for navigating busy airports and crowded tourist destinations hands-free while keeping your phone and cards securely at your side, thanks to its adjustable crossbody strap.
    — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2026
  • The current market lacks discipline, with investors overly reliant on benchmarks like AI for growth, leading to crowded and potentially overvalued trades.
    — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of crowded
Adjective
  • In writing its founding narrative, Crymes speaks to the value of both working within the fraught systems of today and sensing beyond them to more flourishing possibilities for the future.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The fraught subject of the proper disposition of those human remains has taken on a new sensitivity — both for the prehistoric people’s Native American successors in Florida, and for the archaeologists and developers encountering them.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of fraught
Adjective
  • For those below, these coastal areas offer young sharks warm water, abundant food and relative safety during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • When nutrients are abundant, plants may forgo the partnership.
    — Esther Ndumi Ngumbi, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Definition of abundant
Adjective
  • The adjoining stone-and-wood bathroom is awash in natural light.
    — Mark David, Robb Report, 4 July 2026
  • One hundred years later, the country was awash with federal, state, city and philanthropic funding for a music-happy bicentennial of exceptional ambition.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of awash
Adjective
  • July alone brings a packed schedule, including releases from NiziU, ONEUS, and BABYMONSTER, plus debuts like VAYONN.
    — Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • This year, Major League Baseball has provided a packed All-Star Weekend that also includes the MLB Draft, Futures Game, Home Run Derby, and more.
    — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 7 July 2026
Definition of packed
Adjective
  • The new findings are confounding scientists’ expectations, raising questions about how exactly molecules can encounter their reactive partners in a teeming, crowded space — and therefore how cells can possibly function.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of teeming
Adjective
  • During busy times, intersections become jammed, and traffic slows down to a crawl.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • The main highway leading south from Beirut was jammed Tuesday with people displaced from southern Lebanon returning to their homes.
    — Munir Ahmed, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of jammed

Browse Nearby Words

rids
rife
riff
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Rife.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rife. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rife

Nglish: Translation of rife for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All